Selection days never arrived with noise.
They arrived quietly, slipping into ordinary mornings and changing lives without warning.
For Aarav Malhotra, it came on a Wednesday.
---
## 📞 THE CALL
The phone rang just after breakfast.
Neha wiped her hands on her saree before picking it up.
"Yes?"
A pause.
Her expression shifted—not excitement, not shock—just certainty.
She looked at Aarav.
"It's for you."
Aarav took the phone.
---
"Good morning, Aarav Malhotra," a calm voice said.
"This is from the Mumbai Cricket Association junior wing."
Aarav listened, posture straight.
"You have been selected for the **Mumbai Under-14 Probables Camp**."
Dates followed.
Venue.
Reporting instructions.
"You are to report at **MCA Ground, Bandra Kurla Complex**, Monday, 7 a.m."
"Yes, sir," Aarav replied.
The call ended.
---
## 🏠 NO FIREWORKS
His mother smiled, eyes moist.
His father nodded once.
"Pack properly," Rohit said.
"And remember—this is not success. This is access."
Aarav understood.
In his previous life, this call had inflated him.
This time—
It grounded him.
---
## 🏏 MUMBAI U-14 CAMP – DAY 1
The MCA ground felt different.
Larger.
Cleaner.
Quieter.
This wasn't a public ground.
This was a filter.
Thirty boys stood in neat lines, white kits spotless, eyes alert.
Every one of them had dominated somewhere.
Now, they were equals.
---
## 🧾 PROBABLES LIST – NOTABLE NAMES
Aarav scanned the list casually.
Some names stood out.
- **Virat Kohli** – Delhi transfer, aggressive batter
- **Rohit Sharma** – Elegant opener, Mumbai school circuit
- **Cheteshwar Pujara** – Solid technique, patient build
- **Ravindra Jadeja** – All-rounder, sharp arm
- **Manish Pandey** – Clean striker, athletic
Boys now.
Fires waiting.
---
## 👀 FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Virat stood near the nets, bat tucked under his arm, already shadow-practicing.
Rohit leaned against a kit bag, relaxed, joking lightly with another boy.
Pujara stood apart, eyes focused, bat resting carefully against his pads.
Aarav noted them all.
Not as rivals.
As markers.
---
## 🏃♂️ FITNESS ASSESSMENT
The camp began with physical testing.
Sprints.
Agility ladders.
Endurance runs.
Aarav paced himself carefully.
Not the fastest.
Not the slowest.
Consistent.
Balanced.
---
## 🏏 NET SESSIONS – TECHNICAL REVIEW
Batting groups were rotated.
Short spells.
High scrutiny.
---
### Bowlers Assigned:
- Right-arm medium: **Vinayak Kulkarni**
- Left-arm pace: **Irfan Shaikh**
- Off-spin: **Nikhil Joshi**
Selectors stood directly behind the nets.
Clipboards open.
---
### Aarav's Batting
No risks.
No flamboyance.
- Forward defense: solid
- Late cut: precise
- On-drive: textbook
When Irfan Shaikh pitched it up, Aarav drove straight—no follow-through, bat stopping early.
Control over show.
A selector whispered something to another.
---
## 🧠 SYSTEM STATUS
---
### 🧠 KL RAHUL TEMPLATE – FOUNDATION MODE
- Technique Integrity: Excellent
- Risk Index: Low
- Coachability: High
**AB de Villiers Template:**
🔒 *Dormant – Awaiting Match Trigger*
---
Aarav felt no impatience.
He knew what was coming.
Just not yet.
---
## 🏏 PRACTICE MATCH – DAY 3
The camp moved into match simulations.
**30-over format.**
Two teams.
Selectors rotated players deliberately.
Aarav's team batted first.
---
## 🧾 PRACTICE MATCH SCORECARD
### Team Blue – 178/8 (30 overs)
Aarav came in at **No. 3**.
The pitch was slightly tacky.
Timing required adjustment.
---
### Aarav Malhotra – Batting Innings
**Bowling Attack:**
- Vinayak Kulkarni (RM)
- Irfan Shaikh (LAP)
- Nikhil Joshi (OS)
---
- 12.2: Back of length → punched for two
- 13.4: Overpitched → straight drive (FOUR)
- 15.1: Short ball → pulled along the ground (FOUR)
Aarav rotated strike intelligently.
No dot-ball pressure.
---
**Score:**
**58 runs (52 balls)**
- 6 fours
- Strike Rate: 111.53
Dismissal:
*c long-on b Vinayak Kulkarni*
Tried to clear.
Just didn't get under it.
A controlled error.
---
## 🏏 BOWLING SPELL
Aarav bowled in the middle overs.
---
### Bowling Figures:
**5–0–22–2**
- One caught at cover
- One LBW (slower ball)
Selectors watched closely.
He didn't celebrate.
He reset.
---
## 🏃♂️ FIELDING MOMENT
Late in the innings.
Hard-hit ball at point.
Aarav dived.
Stopped it clean.
Saved a boundary.
That earned louder appreciation than a four.
---
## 👥 PEER INTERACTIONS
During the break, Virat walked over.
"Good innings," he said, direct.
"Thanks," Aarav replied.
Rohit joined, smiling.
"You play straight," Rohit noted.
"Hard to bowl to."
Aarav shrugged lightly.
"It's easier that way."
A small thing.
But respect formed quietly.
---
## 🧾 FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT
End of camp.
All players assembled.
The chief selector stepped forward.
---
"These names," he said, holding a sheet,
"are selected for the **Mumbai Under-14 Squad**."
Names were read.
One by one.
When—
"Aarav Malhotra."
No gasp.
No cheer.
Just a calm exhale.
---
## 🏏 OFFICIAL STATUS
**Mumbai U-14 Player**
Role: Top-order batter / Medium-pace all-rounder
The first gate had opened.
---
## 🧠 SYSTEM PROMPT
That night, as Aarav lay on his bed, the interface appeared—clearer than before.
---
### 🧠 U-14 PHASE INITIATED
**Match Conditions Enabled**
**AB de Villiers Template:**
🔒 *Unlock Condition Approaching*
**Requirement:**
➡️ Impact innings in official U-14 matches
---
Aarav stared at the ceiling.
This phase—
This was where freedom would be tested.
KL Rahul had given him stability.
U-14 would demand expression.
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow—
The real climb would begin.
--chapter 10 end--